Buried Mind
by shassie4ever
Summary: Hiro, Matt, and Peter work to track down other people with special abilities. They find a way to track them, but realize that they can't protect themselves well enough. They dig up Adam, but they soon realize that being buried alive has its consequences.
1. Unburied

At first he cursed everyone who had put him there, and his friend, his carp, who had betrayed him. He shouted his name until his throat grew hoarse. Only silence met his screams. He ran out of air not too long afterwards, but even though his body ached for oxygen, he never lost consciousness and he wasn't granted the peace of death. A few days later, maybe months, or years, he broke down and he actually pleaded. He pleaded to whatever god that was listening to let him out. Then he pleaded for Hiro to come back. Soon he stopped making sense altogether. Soon he was mumbling in an attempt to fill the silence and keep insanity at bay. Words lost all meaning. He would find himself mumbling without even knowing that he had opened his mouth.

"He'll come back," he repeated like a mantra. "They won't leave me here."

He blamed the company, he blamed the heroes of the world, he blamed Hiro, and finally, he blamed himself for the position he was in now.

Over the hundreds of years he was alive, he had grown detached from the world, even though he was still in it. He had separated himself from people in his mind, making his decision to release the virus even easier. In his mind he was a god and he could do what he wanted.

It was ironic that now that he was cut off from all civilization, he had begun to grow closer to humanity. Now he could feel how precious each life was. He looked back on his life and it was like he was looking at a stranger.

He had let his power go to his head. He had been consumed with…he didn't know what. Rage? Anger? Power? When he thought about it, a lot of it was revenge. When Hiro Nakamura had betrayed him, it had stung him, because Hiro was his first true friend. Hiro had taught him how to live, how to love, and then he had taken it all away, he had crushed him.

He knew it wasn't Hiro's fault though that he had gone evil. He only had himself to blame. So now here he was, six feet under, and he knew it was all his fault. He deserved this eternal prison.

In his mind he had come to terms with this, but his body wasn't quite done fighting. He clawed at the wood of the coffin only to find metal on the outside. His nails were ripped off and bled, but quickly re-grew. He hated it. He wanted to damage himself beyond repair. He didn't want to heal!

He would go in and out of consciousness, but he didn't know what was day and what was night. When he was tired, he slept, but he didn't sleep often. The gnawing pain of hunger in his gut and the ache in his lungs kept him awake.

The dark made the walls close in on him, left him panicking. He knew it wouldn't kill him, but he didn't like the small confined space.

At the end of the first year he shut down. His mind closed off to protect him from any more trauma. He was a catatonic, empty body. It was the only thing he could do to protect the little of himself that he had left. He locked it away for the time when he got out, if he ever did.

"You sure we need to dig him up for this? Can't we get someone else to help?" Peter whined.

"We need another person with powers to help us. He'll be able to get close to them without getting hurt, now we can help people with powers like us," Hiro said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Yeah yeah, and he's indestructible and expendable. Blah blah blah, the end of the world is coming and we need all the warriors we can get."

"Plus, he knows about the company," Hiro replied.

"Just promise me if he does anything stupid we send him right back into his coffin."

"Okay," Hiro sighed.

They continued to shovel dirt until they heard a metal clang as Peter's shovel bounced off something.

"It's him," Hiro said excitedly.

Adam heard pounding above his coffin. It sounded like digging, but it wasn't until he heard a loud thump on top of the coffin that he jerked out of his catatonia. He saw the door begin to open and that first gust of air was the sweetest thing he had smelled in a long time. He gasped and sucked in air hungrily, his hunger pains ignored for the moment.

The door opened all the way and above him were two very familiar eyes, fish-like eyes. His carp! Peter was next to him, with a look of shock on his face. Hiro looked shocked too.

Before he knew what he was doing, he stood up, dizzy from laying down for so long. He fell back down, but tried to stand again. Hiro automatically reached out to steady him. With a start, he lunged forward again. Hiro and Peter both flinched but he paid no attention to them. He flung himself onto the grass and rolled over to look up to the sky. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a long time. He saw stars twinkling and he continued to suck in fresh air.

Hiro and Peter grimaced at how thin Adam had become. He had dark circles under his eyes and his once lively eyes were dull and lifeless. They expected him to come after them right away, but instead he flung himself at the ground and stared at the sky. Hiro almost felt guilty.

Adam tried to summon up his old sarcastic self, but all he could muster was a feeble mask. "Why?" he said hoarsely.

"We dug your sorry ass up, because we need someone who is indestructible to help us find other special people like us," Peter hissed. "Believe me, I didn't wanna do it, but Hiro here said it would help. But if you step one toe out of line we're dumping you back in there. Got it?"

Adam smirked, hiding the hurt in his face. "Got it."

Peter and Hiro both were taken aback by how suddenly he replied. The old Adam would have never been so submissive. It was like someone had hollowed him out and left a shell. The only hint that it was him, was the ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Now come on, we need to get out of here before someone sees us," Peter said.

Adam slowly stood up on his shakey legs, not waiting for the help that would never come. Peter barely glanced back to see if he was following, but Hiro gave him a curious look. Adam stumbled after them.

Peter got behind the wheel of a silver Volvo, with Hiro sitting in the back to keep an eye on Adam. Adam finally reached the door and reached out to the handle with a shakey hand.

_ "Let me out!" He pounded on the wood and yelled. So small, it was all so small and dark. Barely any air, but he didn't need air. Fundamental to life. Essential to a living breathing person. But there wasn't any life, no air, no light. Just the smell of pine and dirt. Was there smell anymore? He tore at the wood, splinters gouging his fingers, and he screamed. He screamed in pain, in panic. Can you hyperventilate with no air?_

"Are you getting in?" Peter said impatiently, tapping his finger on the wheel.

What was that sucking noise? His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. Why was it so loud and why was Hiro looking at him like that?

"Why are you breathing so fast Takezo-san?" Hiro said.

It was his breathing! That was the sucking noise. He had begun to hyperventilate, but why? It was just a car. Not as small, but still dark, and limited oxygen. He tried to slow his breathing with some success. When it was only a slight pant he reached out again and grabbed the handle of the door.

He flung the door open and sat down before he could think anymore and with a slam shut it behind him.

_"Please! Someone! Anyone! Help me! Don't leave me down here!"_

"You okay?" Hiro asked.

He wiped away the terror from his face but Hiro still caught a glimpse. "Yeah carp, fine," he said with a smirk. He didn't even realize it but he had unintentionally used his nickname for Hiro. He turned to look out the window and the mask fell from his face.

_"Hiro! Come back! I realize what I did wrong! I won't do it again! Don't leave me here!" The walls were closer weren't they? Who knew, that darkness could be more constricting than any solid walls? _

Hiro could see the sudden change on Adam's face when he turned away. It was an emotion he had never seen on his face before.

_ "Please! God just let me die! I deserve it!"_

His mask used to be something he could summon up within seconds, but right now he was having trouble maintaining his façade. He was just so tired of it. Of all of it. He just wished he could stop pretending all the time, pretending to not be in pain and pretending to hate all of humanity, when the truth was he wished he could be a part of it. But he knew he could never be a part of it. He was tired of being alone.

_No one is ever coming for you. No one will even miss you. You are alone._

That was the worst part of being buried, knowing that they had all abandoned him. He was a lost cause. Not even worth saving. He was going to be alone for all of eternity knowing that he was alone because no one wanted him around.

He leaned his head on the window and closed his eyes, hoping to sleep. He had been lying down for a year, but he still felt exhausted.

_The door won't budge. It's a game. See how long before you break. But the darkness and the cold close in on you. You try not to scream, but you can't help it. His stomach ached with hunger and his throat was dry with thirst. The cans of beans and soup stared at him mockingly. They were useless with no can opener and he didn't know how to use those to escape._

_ No matter how hard he tried, he never was able to keep quiet for long._

_ "Please! I promise I'll be good! Let me out!" Tears streamed down his face as he pounded on the door. He slumped to the floor in defeat._

Adam jerked awake with a gasp. It had been so long, and he had thought that he had buried the memory deep down where it couldn't find him. He was wrong though. That tiny cupboard was too much like a coffin though.

Peter and Hiro jumped when they heard him gasp. "What the heck was that?" Peter growled.

Adam carefully plastered a smirk on his face and turned towards the two. "What was what?"

Peter shook his head but Hiro continued to stare curiously as him. Adam ignored him and turned back to face the window, but Hiro caught a reflection of the haunted look in Adam's eyes as soon as the smirk fell from his face.

Adam's eyelids felt heavy, but he refused to let himself sleep and leave himself vulnerable to memories again. The dark road flew by and the rain trickled down the window. Finally Peter pulled up to a dingy motel.

Peter turned off the car and stepped out, followed by Hiro. As soon as Adam got out, Peter grabbed Adam by the arm and pulled him towards their room. Hiro trailed behind them giving Peter's back a disapproving look.

Adam was evil, true, but Peter was being too hostile. Adam was still a human being, he didn't deserve to be treated like an animal.

Finally they reached the door and by then Adam was shivering from the cold and the rain that had soaked through his thin clothes. Hiro and Peter pulled their jackets closer to themselves but they were still mildly dry.

Peter opened the door and shoved Adam through the doorway before walking in behind him. Adam almost fell to the ground but someone steadied him before he could. He looked up curiously and came face to face with a round-faced man with black hair.

"So this is Adam huh?" Adam gave him a smirk.

"Yes. This is Adam, the pure evil freak," Adam's tone was joking but his eyes shone with pain.

_"You're a freak just like your mom! I'm glad I killed her."_

_ "Please don't daddy, I'll be good! I promise!" The little boy pleaded. He had light blond curls and blue eyes that now sparkled with tears._

_ "This is the only way you can learn a lesson!" The older man growled. He grabbed the boy the arm and tossed him into a small food cupboard._

_ "Please don't leave me in here! I don't like the dark!" The boy yelled._

Matt stumbled back. He felt the familiar ache in his head, but he hadn't even been trying to read anyone's mind. Usually there were just words, but this time he saw images. It was like he was there. He could feel the raw fear and pain coming from the boy and the hatred from the old man.

"Wow," Matt said, dazed.

Peter and Hiro rushed forward to catch a dizzy Matt. "Are you okay?"

Peter turned to glare at Adam. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Adam whispered. Peter let go of Matt and grabbed Adam by his jacket.

"What did you do?" The first swing was sudden. Peter's fist crashed against Adam's cheek and his head snapped back but he didn't make a sound. Soon he was on the ground with Peter straddling him and continuing to swing at him. Adam's lip split and began to bleed and his left eye began to swell, but he was unaware. All he could think about was how familiar this scene seemed.

_"Come here boy," the man growled as he took a swig of an amber liquid in a glass. He stood in front of the fire with his back to the boy._

_ "Y-yes sir," the boy stammered obediently. He slowly walked forward, hanging his head. _

_ "I got a call from your school today," he began._

_ The boy sucked in a breath._

_ "The teacher said that you fell from a tree and broke your arm."_

_ This confused the boy. He had been expecting a reprimand for getting a bad grade or talking in class. When that happened he knew what to expect, but not knowing what was going to happen scared him more._

_ "You miraculously healed!" The man took a huge gulp of whiskey. "I knew it. You're a freak just like your mom." Suddenly the man spun around and threw his glass to the ground. He took a step forward and the boy flinched. Before he could run though, the man had hit him across the face and he fell to the ground._

_ He tried to stand up but the man kicked him in the stomach. Then he leaned down and grabbed the boy by the lapels of his jacket and leaned close. The boy could smell the whiskey on his breath and he shuddered._

_ "I'm very disappointed Julian." With this he picked up the boy and flung him across the room. The boy's head connected with the glass on a picture frame and slumped the floor, barely conscious. Blood trickled down the back of his head and his ribs ached. His jaw felt like it was shattered._

"Peter stop!" Matt yelled. Hiro and him finally managed to pull him away from Adam, but Adam just lay there dazed. Matt leaned down to help him, but Adam flinched and stumbled back.

Matt cocked his head to the side and gave him an inquisitive look and murmured so only Adam could hear "Julian?"

Adam visibly grew pale at the name and shuddered. The fear coming from him was almost tangible. He shook himself, trying to wipe the fear from his face and reached up to wipe the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. He finally stood up on unsteady legs and gave them his traditional smirk, but this one was strained.

Peter continued to struggle. "Peter, relax man. He didn't do anything, at least not on purpose."

Adam froze as he began to piece together what happened. He gave Matt a pleading look.

"What was it?" Hiro said.

"Nothing man, nothing. I'm just tired." Matt pat Hiro on the shoulder and walked past him to the bed.

"I guess we should probably get some sleep too. What should we do with him?" Peter asked Hiro as he gestured in Adam's direction. Normally Adam would make some sort of sarcastic comment about how he could hear them but he was too tired.

"He won't try to run," Hiro said.

"He might," Peter countered. He grabbed a pair of handcuffs and grabbed one of Adam's hands. Adam visibly cowered from Peter, a fact that Peter and Hiro both noticed but didn't comment on. Surprisingly, Adam didn't fight Peter, who secured the other half of the handcuffs to the metal of the broken heater that sat in the corner. "There we go, now you're not going anywhere."

_Like I would run, besides all I have to do is break my hand and slip it through. Where would I go? I have nowhere to go. Should've just left me in my coffin._

Matt sat up slightly when he heard this thought. When he turned to look at Adam, what he saw worried him. He saw hatred in the man's eyes, but not for anyone in this room, for himself.

Peter flopped onto the bed next to the one that Matt was on. Hiro shot Adam one last look of concern but even he succumbed to sleep as he slumped down onto the cot that the hotel had given them.

"Perfect, I'll just sleep on the floor then shall I?" Adam said with a tug of the cuff. His eyes felt heavy but the ache in his stomach and his fear of his nightmares pushed him more towards consciousness. "Got any food?" he said like a petulant child, when in pain, revert to a mask that they wanted to see. "I'm hungry."

Peter grabbed the pillow and stuck it over his head. "No. What? You can't stand going without a meal?"

_"Too weak to go without a couple meals. I know I didn't raise a son that was so weak and fragile!"_

Matt bolted upright again from his position on the bed, but Peter didn't notice. "Just be quiet and suck it up. We don't do room service. I swear we shoulda just left you where you were."

_Julian fell to the floor from the blow he hadn't seen coming. His eyes were still adjusting to the light from being in the cupboard so long. "I should've killed you a long time ago." Suddenly all he felt was blinding pain in his chest and the warm dribble of liquid down his sides._

Adam was too lost in his thoughts to hear Peter anymore and Matt was lost in Adam's memories. Matt could feel what Adam was feeling, he was like a beacon of pure agony. It overwhelmed Matt but he reminded himself that it wasn't his own feelings.


	2. Eye of the Storm, No one Watching

_It was a game, seeing how long it took for him to break. The walls closed in on him, and the darkness was stifling. It sucked all the oxygen from the room. He scratched at the door until his hands were a bloody mess, then he weakly thumped his hand against the door. Finally he would pass out after screaming himself hoarse._

_After a few hours, the door would creak open and his father would kick at his unconscious body._

_"Get up boy!" He hauled the small boy up by his arm, nearly pulling it out of the socket. With one final tug, he pulled him out of the room and dumped him unceremoniously on the floor. _

Sleep tugged at Adam, but every time he began to drift off, the dull ache in his stomach-a constant reminder of his hunger, and the memories of his past-kept him awake.

Matt wasn't sure what to make of his recent look into Ad-Julian's past. It was all jumbled up into images of pain and cramped closets, which painted a picture of a horrific childhood. No matter how much Matt fought it, he was starting to feel something akin to empathy for the man. He knew what it was like to have a less than perfect father.

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and tried to analyze the man before him. His own stomach was beginning to ache. Julian appeared to be sending out his feelings in waves and it was impossible for Matt to not pick up on them. Finally, the pain stopped. He saw Julian's eyes roll into the back of his head and he saw him stop breathing. At first he panicked, but then he saw a slight glow come over the man and a few minutes later he coughed.

_Feels like being raked over broken glass, like my insides are burning. Can't even die right. Should have just stayed buried._

Matt shuddered at the intensity of the words. It felt intimate and wrong to be listening to Julian's thoughts. He knew how invasive it was for someone to dig into your mind against your will, but he couldn't hold back the torrent of emotions and thoughts that the other man was unknowingly broadcasting to anyone with a psychic connection-which in this case was Matt. He just wished that there was something he could do to comfort the man. Maybe if he could-

"Oh!" Julian flinched at the man's shout. It was a yip of excitement that barely caused the sleeping occupants of the room to stir, but that snapped Julian out of his internal turmoil and brought him back to the current situation. Matt jumped up and padded across the room, to his bag on the floor in the corner opposite Julian. A few minutes of rustling and mumbling later Matt stood up, grasping something in his right hand, a look of joy and triumph on his face. When he turned to face Julian, the other man's gaze was fixed to the floor, but if he had looked up he would have been struck by how child-like and innocent Matt's expression was. The detective found himself approaching the immortal much like he would approach a traumatized victim or a child. He held his hands out, intending for them to be nonthreatening at his sides, and he took careful, steady, steps forward on the carpeting.

Julian fixed his eyes to the dull gray carpet. _Just be quiet. Maybe he'll go away if I'm quiet. I promise to be quiet. I'll be quiet if he just goes away._ The walls of the hotel morphed into darkness, cupboard walls closing in on him. He smelled the faint tinge of metal and dust. His damp clothes were clinging to his clammy skin and even his armed wrapped around his middle could not hold in the warmth that was seeping out of him. _Father's never thrown me in with wet clothes before, _Julian mused. _I must have done something to really anger him._

Suddenly a loud "Oh!" was uttered from somewhere nearby. He found himself flinching, much to his chagrin. _Stupid. Stupid. So pathetic._ His eyes flicked up in suspicion as the mind-reader from before stood up. His muscles tensed in preparation for an attack, but he found himself relaxing when the man walked to the other side of the room. Yet again his focus turned inward. _Maybe I'll freeze to death. Have I ever frozen to death? I think it would be a peaceful way to go. And maybe…just maybe…it'll be the last time I die._

Julian returned his attention to the man across the room when Matt stood up from his crouched position before a bag. As the man turned, Julian averted his gaze back to the ground.

_"Can't even look me in the eyes like a man. No wonder you're so pathetic!"_

The telepath was walking towards him now at a slow, daunting pace. _Please don't come any closer._

The feet came closer. The other man was halfway there now. _Please don't! I promise I'll be good father._

A quarter of the way left. _Please. Please. Please! Please! I don't want to hurt anymore!_

The feet stopped two feet away. Julian's eyes were frozen to the socked feet before him. _Thank god they're not steel-toed boots,_ Julian found himself thinking, thanking the powers that be for small favors.

The man before him kneeled and a face came just in his field of vision. _Not so close. Close isn't safe. Close hurts._ A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. A minute was gone when Julian finally lifted his eyes, hesitantly, to lock gazes with softly crinkling eyes.

"Please," he found himself moaning mournfully.

Authors Note: Until next time...tee hee! Sorry for the delay with this latest chapter. I have been trying to find the inspiration to write, but now that I just got a new phone and I get updates for on it, I had noticed that a bunch of people keep pestering me to work on my stories, so I have finally started working on them again. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the momentum.


	3. Helping Hand for a Hurting Mind

**"Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination." **  
**― Cornelia Funke, _Inkheart_**

Matt knelt before the broken man and waited. The smaller man's chest shifted, stuttering, as he panted softly. Matt wasn't sure if the man even knew his breathing was so erratic. 

"Easy there," he murmured. He waited on his knees, just in front of Julian, all the while keeping his hands at his sides. 

He continued to murmur soothing words—words that didn't really have any coherent meaning, but that were meant to be calming. He waited a few more moments to see if he could coax Julian out of the tight ball he was curled up in, but the man before him was stubborn—although perhaps stubborn wasn't the right word, because it seemed more like the man was curled up out of habit than out of any ferocious intent. 

"I came to bring you some food," Matt said finally. He held out the handful of protein bars that he kept in his bag for long days at work. Julian didn't make any motion to grab them, so Matt laid them down on the carpet in front of the man. 

"I'll just leave them here, in case you decide to eat." Matt backed away with the same caution he took in approaching Julian. 

Matt settled back down on his bed on top of the covers, but made no moves to sleep. He turned so he could watch Julian out of the corner of his eye, but he tried to seem relaxed so the man wouldn't feel threatened. The room was silent save for Peter's snores, and a rattling noise that chilled Matt to the bone after he realized it was Julian wheezing. 

"You know it won't bite," Matt said quietly. 

Julian's eyes flickered directly towards Matt's, and both of them seemed surprised at the unexpected eye contact. 

"The food," Matt clarified, "It won't bite. In fact you could use something to eat. I know you're hungry." 

Matt watched as a dirty hand reached out and snatched up one of the bars. As soon as he was satisfied that Julian was intending to eat, he turned away to give the man a little privacy. He heard the crinkle of the wrapper and a desperate whine before he heard the food being consumed in a desperate frenzy. He heard two more wrappers being torn off of their contents, and hurried swallowing of two more bars in turn. He winced at the retching noises that followed immediately afterwards, and nearly smacked himself for not thinking of this. In a second he was by Julian's side again trying to soothe the man who was currently expelling the contents of his stomach on the carpet in a pathetic display that seemed to make his muscles ripple painfully. 

"Easy there. It's alright," Matt whispered. "I should've seen this coming. It happens when you haven't eaten for a while." 

Julian continued to retch, but little more than bile was coming up now. 

"I'll get you some water to soothe your stomach." '_Of course I should've done that in the first place'_, Matt thought to himself. He scurried off to the bathroom, all the while trying not to wake Peter and Hiro. He quickly filled a cup with water and brought it back to Julian who was now leaning against the radiator. Matt reached out with a moist towel that he had grabbed as well, intending to wipe off Julian's face, but the other man flinched away. 

"Hey, easy, I'm just trying to help," Matt assured him. "If you want, you can clean your face yourself." 

Julian looked at the cloth held out before him warily; Matt remained still under his inspection. 

"C-c-" 

_ Speak up boy!  
_  
"C-c-c-can-" 

"_Quit your damn stuttering. What's wrong with you? No wonder your mother left."_

"Can't!" Julian said in what was meant to be a yell, but because his throat was still dry, ended up as more of a croak. 

"Can't," Matt repeated. "Oh! You can't do it yourself." 

Julian's previous confidence seemed to deflate, and he could only bring himself to shift his head in a timid nod. 

"No problem, I can help," Matt said with a gentle smile. 

Matt placed the wet towel on Julian's jaw and was pleased to see that the other man flinched only slightly at the touch. He carefully rubbed clean the skin around Julian's mouth and used the other side to wipe at the grime that lingered on the rest of his face and on his neck. All the while, Julian was silent as Matt worked diligently. When he was done, Matt offered the cup of water to Julian. Matt could still hear the hissing voice in Julian's head and see flashes of his past, but Julian's focus seemed to shift towards analyzing the man in front of him. 

"_He's probably only helping you because you're pathetic. He feels sorry for you. Or maybe he's just toying with you. They did lock you down there for so long. It was a punishment, and they're not done with you",_ the voice inside Julian's head hissed. 

"I'm not doing this to trick you, or as a punishment. I swear," Matt said. 

Julian continued to retreat back into himself though. No amount of soothing on Matt's part seemed to do the trick. 

_ "You should just kill yourself. That's all you're good for really."_

"You need to trust me Julian," Matt insisted. He tried to drown out the voice in Julian's head, but his words weren't reaching the man. 

_ "You are useless_._"_

"I don't want to hurt you." 

_ "He's lying," _the voice in Julian's mind hissed_._

"Don't listen to it Julian." 

_ "No one would ever want to help you. You're a freak."_

"I can prove it to you." 

The voice in Julian's head paused. 

Matt held his breathe for a moment; the voice seemed to be silent for the moment, and Julian seemed to be waiting for Matt to do something. 

"I'll prove it to you," Matt repeated; this time with less confidence. He had only tried this once before, but this was a desperate enough situation. 

"I need you to relax," Matt said. He tried to do the same, by taking a deep breath. 

Julian's chest rose and fell intermittently a few times before his breathing evened out and began to match Matt's own breathing pattern. Matt reached out a hand and placed his fingers gently on either side of Julian's head. He closed his eyes and continued to focus on his breathing—all the while clearing his mind of all thoughts except for his desire to protect and care for the man in front of him. He held onto those feelings and gave a tremendous shove with his mind. For a moment it felt like he was trying to shove a cloud of smoke into a pipe. 

"Come on, come on," Matt muttered to himself. 'Why isn't it working,' he thought to himself. 

The thought broke the silence in his mind and he sighed in frustration as he was forced to start the whole process over again. This time it took him less time to center himself and clear his thoughts. He paused, and realized that he could feel the warmth of another mind pressed up against his. Where Matt expected to find mental barriers, Julian had none. It was as if the trauma he had experienced had destroyed all of his defenses. That would explain why Matt was experiencing Julian's memories with him instead of just hearing his thoughts. Matt used his newfound impression of Julian's mind to create a stronger connection between their minds and this time trying to communicate his desire to protect was easier; it was like squeezing a clump of gelatin through that pipe instead of stuffing smoke in it. As soon as it was accomplished Matt waited for Julian to receive the message. After a few moments he was worried it hadn't worked, but suddenly Julian gasped. Matt struggled to keep his hold on the man, as Julian tried to press himself backwards into the radiator behind him. 

"Wh-what is that?" Julian said breathily. 

"My feelings," Matt said with a triumphant smile. 

"They're so…warm," Julian said with awe. 

Matt's hands were now affectionately cupping the cheeks of the man before him. Before tonight Matt had only known what Peter and Hiro had told him about Adam, but now he felt he knew Julian. 

"I only want to help you," Matt said. 

Matt heard something that sounded like a gargled choking noise and he opened his eyes in alarm. He searched Julian's face for any signs of distress, but as he heard the noise again he realized that it was joy. Julian was laughing. 

"You're not lying, are you," Julian said. He chuckled again, and it was a heartbreaking imitation of joviality; a noise that sounded both foreign and broken coming from the man's throat. 

Matt reached around to place a comforting hand on the back of Julian's neck. He gave a gentle tug, allowing the other man to slump forward and press his face into Matt's shoulder. He wrapped his other arm around Julian's back in a position that was half hug and half support for the limp weight of the other man who had suddenly given up on defying gravity, much like a marionette whose strings had been suddenly cut. 

"No Julian, I'm not lying." 

The soothing warmth of the hand at his back, and the comfort of another mind pressed gently against his soon lulled Julian into unconsciousness, and for the first time in a long time the voice inside his head was gone.

_Authors Note: __I have finally been able to finish up this next chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who favorited the story and/or reviewed it. That helped a lot to motivate me to work on this story. I hope you guys liked this latest chapter. :)_


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